Mike Slive: SEC Network likely would have happened even without expansion

ESPN President John Skipper and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive chat at the news conference Thursday in Atlanta. (The Associated Press)

ATLANTA -- The SEC likely would have created the SEC Network even if it didn't add Texas A&M and Missouri, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said.

Five years ago, the SEC decided against a network. Getting into the states of Texas and Missouri meant the SEC's geographic footprint expanded by about 34 million people, but Slive suggested the network was happening anyway.

"It's got to be about three years since we started this conversation," Slive said. "The first discussion is could we do it at 12 (members)? The answer is yes. I think we would have done it at 12. Obviously, the addition helps, but I think we would have probably moved ahead without them."

Texas A&M Athletics Director Eric Hyman, who was at South Carolina when SEC Network talks first began years ago, agreed a 12-member network could have happened.

"But Missouri and Texas A&M enhances it," Hyman said. "Within three-and-a-half hours of us are 22 million people within the state of Texas. You've got Houston, which is the fourth-largest media market in the country, and Dallas-Fort Worth in the top 10. I think there's a demand for this content in Texas."

"Mike has alluded in general terms there are some startup costs," Auburn President Jay Gogue said. "I guess we'll know in 16 months how it will really work financially. At some point, I think we'll see a payoff."

Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said startup costs will be paid for by ESPN.

"I don't think any of us know right now what the financial part is going to look like," Foley said. "Once it's established, that kind of stuff sustains itself year after year after year. The biggest benefit is the chance of exposure."

To start the channel, the SEC bought back third-tier TV rights from IMG College, Learfield Sports and CBS Collegiate Sports Properties, the rights-holders of the SEC's 14 schools. Those third-tier rights -- one football game, eight basketball games and other sports and programming not picked up by ESPN -- will now air on the network.

"We got made whole (financially)," Foley said about giving up third-tier rights. "Florida had its own kind of cable network in the state of Florida. We had 6 million homes with SunSports and it's been wonderful for us. But the world marches on. Obviously any time there's change, there will be a little bit of growing pains. But at the end of the day, it's going to be spectacular for the league and spectacular for Florida."

Why now for the SEC? In part because the SEC got passed financially by other conference TV deals since 2008. The SEC had a "look-in" -- a review of the agreement -- written into the contract after the first five years, although in this case it happened sooner.

Why now for ESPN? If ESPN didn't do a network, it risked losing the SEC once the current 15-year contract expired in 2024.

"We agreed then (in 2008) that the world was going to change, and that what looked like a very rich deal at the time has now been caught up by other conferences and other networks," ESPN President John Skipper said. "We committed that we would always keep the SEC in a primary position of leadership and we did."

Said Slive: "We set the bar and now this takes us to another level, assuming it's successful. That's why we have the look-in. That's why I'm comfortable with the extensions because I'm always going to be in a place to watch what happens and stay ahead of the curve."